DENTAL IMPLANTS

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that a placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason. While high-tech in nature, dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support. Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth. You know that your confidence about your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don’t feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own! Under proper conditions, such as diligent patient maintenance, implants can last a lifetime. Long-term studies continue to show improving success rates for implants.

• Replace one or more teeth without affecting bordering teeth.
• Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
• Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

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What Dental Implants Can Do?

Endosteal (in the bone): This is the most commonly used type of implant. The various types include screws, cylinders or blades surgically placed into the jawbone. Each implant holds one or more prosthetic teeth. This type of implant is generally used as an alternative for patients with bridges or removable dentures.

Subperiosteal (on the bone): These are placed on top of the jaw with the metal framework’s posts protruding through the gum to hold the prosthesis. These types of implants are used for patients who are unable to wear conventional dentures and who have minimal bone height.

Types of Implants in Use Today

Replacing a single tooth: If you are missing a single tooth, one implant and a crown can replace it. A dental implant replaces both the lost natural tooth and its root.

Replacing a several teeth: If you are missing several teeth, implant-supported bridges can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.

Replacing all your teeth: If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.

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Implants can be used to accomplish the following:

Esthetic

Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth! Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.

Tooth-saving

Dental implants don’t sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health!

Confidence

Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They’re secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They’ll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.

Reliable

The success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.

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Advantages of Dental Implants over Dentures or a Bridge

Almost everyone is missing one or more teeth and in general good health is a candidate for dental implant treatment. There are a few medical conditions that can undermine the success of implant, such as uncontrolled diabetes. However, the most prominent condition that would keep someone from having implant treatment altogether is the quality and quantity on available bone for implant placement. This is more often a factor in qualifying for dental implants than medical conditions.

However, even people who have lost significant amount of bone can qualify for dental implant treatment with additional procedures to add bone or create new bone. Advances in this type of treatment have made it possible for thousands of patients who would not previously have been considered candidates to have successful implant procedures.

How Painful is Getting Dental Implants?

Most of our patients report that they feel very little if any pain during the procedure. Also, when you leave our office you’ll get a prescription if necessary. Plus we will call to make sure that you are not in any abnormal amounts of discomfort. Our goal is to give you stronger more comfortable teeth, with practically pain free dentistry.

How Long Will It Take To Complete the Treatment?

You will notice a difference almost immediately. However, the entire process can take anywhere between 3-9 months to complete. This depends on the type, and quality of implants you need, along with the quality of bone in which the implants are placed. There are treatment options that are faster, such as dentures, however none of these traditional methods prevent bone loss or give the type of natural look and feel implants do.

Will I Need To Have One Implant Placed For Each Tooth That Is Missing?

No in fact in fact it is possible to replace all of the lower teeth with an over denture that is supported by only 2-4 implants. On the other hand sometimes it might work in your advantage to replace your back teeth with an implant for each tooth to provide additional strength.

How Do I know if I’m too old For Implants?

Your overall health and the desire to improve the quality of life are much more important things to look at than your age. We currently have patients from 40 to 70+ years old. There have been reports of people who are in there 90’s having this procedure done with no problems.

How Long Do Implants Last?

Most research has shown that implants have been successful for over 30 years, however our goal is to make them so they last a lifetime. This is much improved from dentures, which are 5 years or bridges where the expected time of use is between 7-10 years.

What Is the Costs of Implants?

Many people call and ask us, “How much is one implant going to cost?” while I wish that were simple. The only way to determine the actual cost is by coming in for a consultation and an examination to find out if you have bone loss, and if you need one, two, or more implants. See the actual cost of implant treatment is based on a number of factors, such as the number if teeth being replaced, the type of treatment option recommended and weather additional procedures are necessary to achieve the proper esthetic and functional results.

Does Insurance Cover Dental Implant Treatment?

Insurance coverage depends of your individual policy. Most policies do not give substantial coverage. Although most companies exclude implants as a covered benefit, many of them will pay the same benefit they would cover for the lowest cost alternative treatment option (partials and dentures) and some for the diagnostic records, if a specific request were made for” alternative benefits”.

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Whatever your need is, we give free implant consultations. Send Us a Message